GameDay: Jags at crossroads in Nashville tonight

Just when you thought the Jags could have turned corner after two wins in London and then Chicago, they laid an egg Sunday at home with the Raiders.

Now on a short week, they have traveled to Nashville to play Marcus Mariota and the Titans on Thursday Night Football.

Here are some quick things to know for tonight:

Jaguars on Offense

As we wrote this week, QB Blake Bortles is struggling and may have to see a voodoo witch doctor soon, if he doesn’t snap out of it. Bortles has thrown a pick in five of the six Jacksonville games this season. So, let’s start there. No int’s tonight to help the cause.

Some of that is predicated on the Jaguars inability to run the football. Just 72 yards from the running backs at home against a bad Oakland defense is not a good sign. They are averaging an anemic 76.7 rush yards per game on the season and only 3.7 yards per carry. Both of those are in the bottom five of the entire NFL. Not what you know want to be known for as an offense.

Jaguars must stop Mariota

The Titans QB is coming into his own with his arm and legs. Over the last three games, he’s got eight TD’s passing and only one INT and his QBR is a gaudy 113.1. And Mariota is getting to use his wheels some, as well, which is bad news for the Jags. For they already gave up a spectacular 87 yard TD run last season in Nashville that was the third longest in NFL QB rushing history. It will be a priority to contain Mariota, especially with Demarco Murray running well this season, when Tennessee goes often to the “Read Option.”

Uh-Oh, it’s the Boss

Finally, Jaguars Owner Shad Khan came to the team meeting and spoke to the players on Monday. No matter what anyone says, that’s not good with a team that is struggling. Even though the reports are that he was positive and re-affirming belief in head coach Gus Bradley and re-assuring the players, tonight is important.

Khan craves for his Jags to be relevant, and they don’t often play in stand alone prime time situations. They haven’t been on Sunday or Monday Night football in over seven seasons.

But between the London win, which was early start and most of the football fans around the country that were awake tuned in for at least part of it and now tonight, they get a chance to show something.

Khan’s hoping they show that they are ready to play, stop the Titans and perhaps pull a good upset on the road.

Steelers add to Jaguars frustrations with late comeback

Any hope that the Jaguars were going to turn their season around on a November Sunday in North Florida ended abruptly, as Ben Roethlisberger fueled a 16-point second-half comeback and the Steelers handed Jacksonville their sixth straight defeat.

The Jaguars controlled most of the first three quarters, but unfortunately had only three Josh Lambo field goals to show for their excellent play in the first half. And, their 9 – 0 lead going into the 3rd quarter came back to haunt them later on.

Then, when Roethlisberger led the Steelers to another touchdown with under six minutes remaining hitting TE Vance McDonald on an 11-yard score, it wast 16-13.

Once more, Jacksonville’s offense could do nothing and gave the ball back to Pittsburgh for one more opportunity for Roethlisberger to play the hero. He hit Juju Smith Schuster-with a long completion inside the Jacksonville 25 yard line, and then, another pass over the middle Bryant put them down inside the 4-yard line with under :20 to play.

Two plays later Roethlisberger scrambled just into the end zone with only :05 remaining in the game and the comeback was complete.

In stunning the Jaguars and their home fans, Pittsburgh won its six consecutive game. Further, they dealt a likely fatal blow to Jacksonville’s hopes to get into the playoff race, as they now stand at 3-7.

Despite Leonard Fournette having a strong day with almost a hundred yards rushing and the lone touchdown on an “Up and Over” dive in the third quarter, the Jags once again showed that their biggest flaw is: that can’t throw the football with any down-filled success and get quick scores with any regularity.

And unlike 2017 when they’re plodding, run-based offense was effective, time and again, it’s been exposed in 2018 for losses.

With the win the Steelers do get a measure of revenge after being swept last year by Jacksonville including a while 45 – 35 playoff loss in the divisional round at Heinz Field.

We’ve documented the off-season of headaches that included: Ramsey not showing up to OTAs, delaying arriving to training camp by 5 days after the birth of his daughter, and being outspoken in an article on GQ.com criticizing multiple quarterbacks including the Jaguars opponent today, the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger.

And he and former teammate Dante Fowler were both suspended for a week during the preseason for their behavior at a Jags training camp practice, where Fowler was trying to get into a fight with teammate Yannick Ngakoue.

Earlier this week, Coach Doug Marrone took an unusual step for him and actually specifically mentioned Ramsey by name, as having blown a key coverage in the first half on a Colts touchdown pass to tight end Eric Ebron.

Ramsey was a top-10 pick of the Jaguars in 2016 and is in the third year of his four-year rookie deal. So that makes the rumors about a possible trade after the season even juicier, because he’s much more affordable for another team to acquire right now.

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